Friday May 25, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

U.S. and industry rewrite nuclear history

By Jeff Donn

Commentary Jul. 09, 2011 - 05:01AM JST ( 5 )

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5 Comments

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ihavegreatlegsJul. 09, 2011 - 08:21AM JST

Just as I do not understand why the Japanese govt wants to raise the consumption tax on everything which includes essential items and daily use items rather than on just the other junk, I cannot understand why push the envelope on nuclear development. Cement, which is a big part of the plants has a specific life line. Why do we not see more about Tidal energy? It is a proven science and the moon ain`t leaving.
1

TheQuestionJul. 10, 2011 - 11:37AM JST

It's a real shame that people are willing to allow old reactors to keep chugging along but won't comit to the fact that we need a drastic restructuring of our nuclear plants. The age of these reactors is unacceptable, we need to start replacing the old ones with newer plants with up to date systems. We also need to start moving nuclear technology forward toward generation IV reactors and making more strides towards the grail of energy production that is fusion power.

The 20th century had it's cold war and it's space race and they did the impossible. What we need now is an energy race because the first power that learns to harness fusion power will leave every other nation in the dust in terms of economic and social development. Because while solar energy sounds nice and everything I'd rather bypass the middleman and go directly to the source of the power.
1

SquidBertJul. 11, 2011 - 03:43PM JST

Very well written and interesting article, thank you JT.
1

gonemadJul. 11, 2011 - 09:52PM JST

Nuclear power plants are very expensive and only few companies have the financial means to build them. On the other hand, for a company or group of companies with such financial prowess it is easy to influence political decisions, be it through direct corruption or less visible lobbying. As we can see all over the world, political control over the safety regulations has failed. It's absolutely no surprise if you think about it.
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TheQuestionJul. 11, 2011 - 11:15PM JST

On the other hand, for a company or group of companies with such financial prowess it is easy to influence political decisions, be it through direct corruption or less visible lobbying.

Were that true we would have more nuclear plants going up ever year. As it stand construction of new plants has ground to a virtual standstill even before the japanese incident due in large part to oil and renewable energy companies cultivating public fear of nuclear power despite the fact it is the only cost competative replacement for oil as a means of energy production available on the market.

I WISH the nuclear producers had more sway as compared to other forms of energy production. It would fast track the viability of electric cars, reduce dependancy on foreign oil, reduce emissions, and generation IV reactors use nuclear waste from other plants as fuel which, in turn, produces waste that stabalizes in decades instea of millenia.

The idea of nuclear reactors is only frightening because we have been made to believe that meltdowns are a regular occurance when, in fact, they are an astonishingly rare event. The japanese event was by far the most economically damaging but even that pales in comparison to the gas line explosions, toxic spills, and pollution put out by gas and coal plants every year. Even renewables are not without their demons considering how much manufacturing, materials, and transportation is required to get them built and operational.

We need an energy plan that will carry us forward into a century that I can only hope will be as productive and revolutionary as they one we left behind. That cannot be accomplished without a potent mix of viable energy production models with nuclear power leading the charge.